2009 En-Light-Eners

It is hard to believe the year is coming to a close. We hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season and we look forward to working with everyone in 2010. I don't know about you but I just got used to writing 2009 on my checks. The staff and I wish to thank everyone for their business in 2009 and truly look forward to working with you in 2010. As many may know this will be our 38th year in business and we enjoy every moment and we have many exciting things planned in the upcoming year.
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With Thanksgiving right around the corner using a turkey reference only seems appropriate. In full disclosure I must state that I have never cooked a turkey but have watched and read about the different techniques available. While doing the research I came across this website. I found it very interesting that, yes, candle making shares many similarities to cooking a turkey. Before you laugh to hard, I encourage you to read our newsletter and the referenced website and, by the end (I hope) you have a wonderful candle and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and not be on a "Wild Turkey Hunt".
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On behalf of Candlewic we would like to take this time and wish everyone an early HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Like some of the scary movies people watch this time of year they sometimes have the same experience when learning to make candles the first time. The terms used, how to choose the correct product and (if they get to it) how sell their candles, it can be a scary process.
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Hard to believe summer is weeks behind us and for many it seemed like there never really was a summer and before we knew it everyone was talking about “Back to School”. The good news with summer being over is the holiday buying season is rapidly approaching. This past summer was tough for many retailers but there was some encouraging news that retail did grow a modest 1.1% for the month of August.
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It is definitely an interesting time period in terms of the economic situation. Some “experts” are saying we are on the way to recovery while others say we have a long way to go before things get better. At this point in time it is difficult to truly determine where the answer lies. If the last couple of years have taught companies anything it is that as a company you must always be able to adapt to many different situations/conditions and be able to change quickly.
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It is always interesting to hear how people get started in the candle business for some it starts as a hobby and grows into a home based business and then continue to grow the operation until it becomes a self sustaining operation. (See Candlewic History). For others they start with an investment of some type with the full intention of growing the business into successful operation and others may have acquired an existing candle company.
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Candle making can be a very encompassing term. To some it is the craft of making candles for friends and work associates around the holidays, to others it is an activity they did with a girl/boy scout troop and for many others it is a source for income. Candle making has always been an excellent choice for generating income for individuals and families during tough economic times.
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Hard to believe the “unofficial” start of summer is just days away. Many people are probably finalizing summer vacation/staycations, picking summer camps or just looking forward to some warm weather. As identified in past Enlightner Issues in order to have a successful candle business it is always important to stay on top of all aspects of business. Candle makers wear many hats, Manufacturer, Marketer, Designer, Purchasing Agent and everything between. Because of this sometimes the finer details do get pushed aside and which can cause problems later. One area that needs to get a lot of focus is choosing the right wick for your application. Several years ago we had an issue which received very good feedback and because it is such an important subject have decided to re-run the issue.
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Hard to believe school will soon be out and summer will officially begin. The summer is usually a joyous and exciting time period for the vacation industry. Unfortunately for many the “candle world” does seem to go on vacation and selling candles can be difficult. It is easy for many to let this time slip away but in this article we would like to highlight some things that may help get you through the upcoming months. Some of these recommendations and suggestions can yield immediate results while others may lay the foundation that will pay dividends in fall/winter months.
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One of the first things I do when writing our newsletter is do various searches on the internet and newspaper on timely subjects in both the candle market and business in general. I came across a very timely article on the CNN Money website. You can read it at their website. The most intriguing in this list was the summary on Proctor and Gamble. Gives us all hope in the candle industry.
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Hopefully by now you have already purchased your special Valentine gift and that it is a nice fragranced candle. I have already prepped my Valentine that I did not have time to shop because of our newsletter. Valentine's Day has traditionally been a very good holiday for candles in that there is a lot of focus on creating romantic and relaxing moods and we always like to think there is nothing better to achieve this goal than a highly fragranced candle.
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